Statistics bureau chief in shock removal
13 October 2006
The head of the national bureau of statistics Qiu Xiaohua has been removed from his post without explanation, sparking suggestions of involvement in the corruption investigation, the South China Morning Post reported. State media announced Thursday that Xie Fuzhan, deputy director of the state development research center, had replaced Qiu, who was only appointed to the position in March. Although China's statistics are often criticized for their poor quality, some analysts doubted corruption rumors because the statistics bureau is not seen as a heavyweight, well-financed department and Qiu wasn't known for having business links. A government crackdown on corruption has claimed the scalp of Shanghai party secretary Chen Liangyu, among others.
